2/1/2023 – Since the early 21st century, the consensus among specialized historians is that the birth of modern chess took place in the ancient Kingdom of Valencia. Francesc Vicent was the author of the first known treatise on modern chess, the ‘Llibre dels jochs partits dels scachs en nombre de 100’, printed in Valencia on May 15, 1495. In an article for ‘Peón de Rey’ Magazine, Sergi Núñez and Francisco Rubio explain why a line in the Scandinavian Opening should be named ‘the Valencia variation’.

2/1/2023 – ChessBase 17 offers many new features. We help to use them optimally! In our new video series, our developers personally explain the new features they have developed themselves. From the new data format to the beauty index. In no time at all, you'll learn how it's done. In this episode, we discover how easy it is to stream a Fritztrainer directly with ChessBase 17.

2/1/2023 – At the beginning of February FIDE published the new world ranking list. Magnus Carlsen, who continues to be clear number one, lost a few rating points in Wijk, but increased the Elo gap to Ding Liren, who lost even more rating points in Wijk and is now the world's number three while Ian Nepomniachtchi is number two. Hou Yifan is number one on the women's list and Alireza Firouzja remains the world's best junior though his rivals come closer. Best female junior is Bibisara Assaubayeva.

2/1/2023 – Most of all grandmasters were born under the sign of Aquarius. Among them romped the legends Taimanov, Eliskases and Sveshnikov. There is also a world champion - Boris Spassky. With Abhimanyu Mishra, we have not only the youngest grandmaster, but we also had Yuri Averbakh, the oldest, who died at the age of one hundred.| Photo: Pixabay

2/1/2023 – Arjun Erigaisi reached an extremely difficult endgame against Levon Aronian in the third round of the Tata Steel Masters. Many players would have collapsed, but the 19-year-old is a tough nut to crack. He held his own and managed to draw the game. After the game, you could see Arjun and Levon analysing the game, but it was all just too complex to figure out without an engine. IM Sagar Shah spent a lot of time going to the depth of the position and now shares the findings with you. Do check out the analysis to unlock the secrets of a complex knight versus bishop endgame. | Photo: Lennart Ootes

1/31/2023 – Time is important when playing chess. The time that the players have on the clock, but also the dynamic pieces and pawns develop during the game and that dictates whether to play fast or slow. Jan Markos knows how to use such dynamics to your advantage. | Photo: Michael Hofmann, Kitzingen., CC BY-SA 3.0 , via Wikimedia Commons

1/29/2023 – The 85th edition of the Tata Steel Chess Tournament took place on January 14-29 in Wijk aan Zee. Both the Masters and the Challengers were 14-player single round-robin events. Anish Giri and Alexander Donchenko obtained outright victories at the Masters and the Challengers sections, respectively. | Replay all games with computer analyses on our interactive replayers.

1/29/2023 – Herman Grooten is an International Master, a renowned trainer and the author of several highly acclaimed books about chess training and chess strategy. In the 110th instalment of his ChessBase show "Understanding before Moving", Herman continues to explain why it is good to study and to play the Sicilian. | Photo: Pascal Simon

1/29/2023 – Nodirbek Abdusattorov continues to lead the standings with one round to go at the Tata Steel Masters. Anish Giri, who is in sole second place a half point back, escaped with a draw from an exciting game against Jorden van Foreest. Magnus Carlsen, on his part, failed to convert his advantage into a full point against Praggnanandhaa. Meanwhile, in the Challengers, Alexander Donchenko scored a third consecutive win and secured first place with a round to spare. | Photo: Jurriaan Hoefsmit / Tata Steel Chess Tournament 2023

1/28/2023 – In his "Fast & Furious" show, Robert Ris goes over the exciting tactical battle played by Indian prodigies Gukesh and Praggnanandhaa at the Tata Steel Masters! | "Fast and Furious" is available on-demand with a ChessBase Premium Account. You can register a Premium account here.

1/28/2023 – ChessBase 17 offers many new features. We help to use them optimally! In our new video series, our developers personally explain the new features they have developed themselves. From the new data format to the beauty index. In no time at all, you'll learn how it's done. In the third episode, Jeroen van den Belt explains the newly visualized material search function!

1/28/2023 – In the diagram position White can win a piece after 18.Nxc6! Bxc6. Can you calculate the lines in your head?